Bend it like Evo!

Bend it like Evo!

Evo Morales, president of Bolivia has become a member of the Litoral second division soccer league in LaPaz at the age of 47. President Morales has a lot to thank soccer for, including his health and his political career. Morales began playing soccer as a young boy where he caught the eyes of leaders of Bolivia’s largest coca-growers union as he played as a member of the coca-growers team. He was later appointed the head of sports and eventually became the union president. From here his professional career in politics began. Morales is a huge supporter for soccer and has fought against FIFA, which would not allow any games to be played in Bolivia do to the high altitude, and has even hosted a charity match in the capital of Bolivia against the Argentine team led by retired superstar Diego Maradona. Morales continues to succeed as a great soccer star and Bolivia’s first indigenous president elected in 2005. Litoral may rise as Bolivia’s top professional league it can manage to survive a long series of qualifying tournaments this year.

Cubans can now have cell phones

You mean they couldn't have cell phones before?? Wow. Anyway, Raul Castro announced that cell phones will now be allowed. However, they will be very expensive, especially considering that the monthly salary of most Cubans would barely cover the cost of a cell phone, plus the exorbitant 60c a minute national rate. Castro hopes that this and other measures will appease people's desire for deeper change.
AP article

A Chilling Story from Brazil

A minor in Brazil admits to the murders of 12 people. Police are still investigating whether or not he is telling the truth, but the detectives were frightened of the boy's calm story.

CLICK HERE to read the whole NY Times article.

XUXA!

Remember learning about Xuxa, the Brazilian model/children's show host? I randomly found this clip of her American children's show from the 90's appropriately titled Xuxa. It did not receive as much success as her shows in Latin America; however the it was sold to many other countries including Japan, Israel, Russia, Australia and a few Arab countries. Here it is, enjoy!">

Restoring the Past

This is an interesting article about the restoration of old Cuban buildings in Havana. I know that here in the United States, preserving the past is becoming a huge deal and so I can understand why a rich historical country like Cuba is doing this. I find it very interesting also how many people in Cuba do not like the ideas of this restoration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/world/americas/06havana.html

Out with the Old and In with the Old. Technology in Cuba...

There is a new sensation sweeping the nation, the world, the universe. We are all apart of it. Even you reader. You are a blogger! As we speak, you are participation in this new and revolutionary take on journalism, blogging. However, Cuban bloggers are having a much more difficult time participating because of guess what... governmental censorship. Cuba censor? No way! But its true. Here is a blog about a Cuban blogger and her troubles with censorship. And here is the Cuban's blog which is host to a Cuban women's complaints about life on the island. So that makes this entry a blog about a blog about a blog. VIVA BLOG!

Puerto Rican governor pleads not guilty to corruption charges

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/puerto_rico_governor;_ylt=ArTcbdIoCbdBIjRzDvcYJwK3IxIF


Governor Anibal Vila pleaded not guilty to corruption charges stemming from shady campaign financing, and was released today to the cheers of many of his country's flag-waving citizens. He was charged with 19 counts of corruption that could lead to a maximum of 20 years; specifically, he was accused of having illegally borrowed money to pay off a half-million dollar debt. He is also the first Puerto Rican official to be charged with federal crimes since the island became a US commonwealth in 1952.

Colombia offers to free rebels in Betancourt swap

Columbia launched an all-out effort to free politician Ingrid Betancourt on Friday, offering cash and reduced jail terms to leftist guerrillas in exchange for releasing her after years of captivity in jungle camps.

Betancourt, a French-Colombian national snatched by the rebels during her 2002 presidential campaign, is reportedly suffering from malnutrition and hepatitis B.

President Alvaro Uribe, a conservative U.S. ally, said his government will maintain a $100 million fund to pay rewards to guerrillas who free any of the hundreds of kidnap victims held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, or FARC

"We will resolve their legal problems and offer financial compensation," Uribe said on Friday.

Venezuelan Media Conferences

During the coming days in Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez predicts that a "great debate" will occur between two media conferences that will "dissect" the Venezuelan government's dealings with freedom of speech and press issues. The two conferences that will be taking place over the weekend are the meetings of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) and the "Latin American Meeting on Media Terrorism." The IAPA is predicted to be very critical of Venezuela's, more specifically Chavez's, handling of media issues; in the past the IAPA has accused Chavez of using the government to bring "trumped-up" charges against journalists. The "Latin American Meeting on Media Terrorism," which is comprised mostly of Chavez supporters, is expected to report on the distorted image that is portrayed of Venezuela and Hugo Chavez in the global media. Chavez is right when he says that there will be a "great debate," and it will be interesting to see what comes out of both of these conferences. Perhaps it would be better to find some way to combine these two conferences into a single entity in which a civil discourse can occur that would address and possibly solve some problems, as opposed to meeting with people who all have the same general beliefs.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_media

Travesti

I'm reading an enthography right now in my anrthopology of gender class titled Travesti by Don Kulick. It's about transgendered prostitues in the Brazilian city Salvador. It is incredibly intriguing, disturbing, and very informative. The author spent 12 months living in with these travestis exploring their everyday lives and the thought processes of the indiviuals and the travesti culture within a larger context of Brazilian racial, sexual, and ideological culture. I definately recommend this book to anyone interested in Latin America.

Follow Up on Cuba Presentation

When I gave my presentation on Cuba, I remember someone asking if Raul Castro would follow in his brother's footsteps. Well I found this article on CNN.com that shows that Raul Castro might be open to giving the Cuban people more freedom. A news story mentions that Raul Castro is lifting the ban on cell phones and allowing all Cubans who want one to be able to own a cell phone. Previously this luxary was reserved to those who worked in foreign firms or held key positions in the communist state. Though this is just a minor step, it shows Raul Castro being open to allowing the Cuban people more independence.

Also for a little entertainment I found a YouTube clip of the king of Spain telling Chavez to shut up. Since we talked about it on Wednesday I figure I would post it for all to see. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB_fvVLdmRI

Zelaya comiendo melón

A recent report by the FDA claims that imported Honduran melons have been responsible for fifty cases of salmonella across sixteen states and parts of Canada. Although there are no reported casualties, the incident has certainly affected the lives of the 1,500 workers who were fired after the Honduran company was forced to stop shipments to the United States. The matter is serious enough to compel the president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, to eat a melon on television in order to downplay fears of contaminated melon. He claims that the FDA’s claims are an error, but, in reality, the damage has already been done as it will take more than a brave stunt to restore confidence among US importers. This incident underscores the importance of agriculture for the economies of Latin America.

The video of Zelaya enjoying a melon:

McCain without Chavez' Support

Apparently Chavez doesn't approve of John McCain, the likely Republican candidate for the 2008 US presidency.

As the MWC News Network reports, Chavez can be quoted saying that "Sometimes one says, 'worse than Bush is impossible,' but we don't know." The article goes on to explain that Chavez has intentions of improving their relationship with the US via the new president.



In Chavez' words, McCain is could prove to be "worse" than Bush because he "expresses the same mentality that has characterised the "terrorist" Bush administration" according to the article.



Interestingly enough, he prefers the relationship before the current administration. Chavez said that he hopes "for the level of relations we had with ex-President Clinton."

Same Name, Different Man

Fidel Castro's brother, Raul, is Cuba's new leader, and he is doing his best to try and appease the residents of Cuba but relaxing the import rules that are typically rather strict. Because of this stringency, for many years, people in Cuba have had considerably less to consume than other comparable countries. But now, Raul Castro has made moves towards allowing more goods to enter the market, which will no doubt put a dent in the black market, and hopefully weather some of the illegal activity that goes on there. The rift between the government and consumers and producers is still large and there is a long way to go until all parties will be appeased. Here is an article that speaks to this fact:

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/13/766046.aspx

Food price soaring worldwide

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080324/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/fighting_for_food;_ylt=AoAWPezKroLxktJxGafLe_C3IxIF

Since part of the discussion for this week is about the cost-benefit of economic development vs. land preservation, I found this article somewhat apropos.

According to agricultural experts, the price of food has been rising due to freak weather, increased consumer demand in India and China, higher oil prices, and depleted food reserves. The price of spaghetti, for example, doubled to fifty-seven cents in Haiti. But food worldwide is undergoing a similar upward shift; according to the same experts, they are expected to stay at higher prices for at least 10 years.

This relates to Latin America in that if they are able to produce more goods, they can capitalize on the increased demand and make a much greater profit. Even if production were to remain the same, they could still see more money coming their way. This could lead to further development of the land in order to make crop production more feasible, as well as possibly starting a boom cycle in the Latin American economy.

BRASA em NOLA

This weekend, Tulane University is hosting the 9th BRASA or Brazilian Studies Association Conference. The conference will start Thursday and run through Saturday. Students from all over the country, and even from Brazil will be visiting to listen to and give presentations on their research. There will also be music and dance performances which will surely be worth watching.

Here is the link with the schedule of events.

Haunting Past Shadows San Diego's Rob Jones

The San Diego Toreros' Men's Basketball forward Rob Jones, in the midst of an incredibly successful season that saw San Diego upset West Coast Conference powerhouse Gonzaga for the conference title followed by a first round upset of University of Connecticut, is making a new name for himself and his family. His grandfather, Jim Jones, former leader of the Peoples Temple Cult, is widely known as the orchestrator of the Jonestown mass suicide in the South American jungles of Guyana.

Jones' father, Jim Jones Jr., was the famed cult leader's adopted son, and was absent from the day of mass suicide because of his participation on a traveling basketball team. Since that time, Jim Jones Jr. has held a sense of guilt due to basketball, but his son, Rob, has helped to ease that pain. Needless to say, as common as the name "Jones" is, this family has a very interesting family history.


See full article here.

Rivalry Revisited

You can already feel the intensity between soccer fans of the United States and Mexico when one speaks of the upcoming match between the countries. But wait, this match is not scheduled to happen until February 6, 2009. Why the drama? After defeating Mexico for a spot in the second World Cup, the U.S had to wait 46 years before it tasted victory again in 1980. Since then rivalry grown as the U.S. first challenged and then began to dominate its southern neighbor. Ahead of the February 6 match in Houston FoxSoccer.com tracks some of the significant recent encounters between the regional rivals. This match is guaranteed to bring all the drama and passion that soccer fans worldwide love.

Goal !

At the Olympic qualifying games in West Palm Beach, Florida five soccer players and an assistant coach belonging to Cubans national soccer team became refugees in the blink of an eye. The players saw this as an opportunity to make their dreams of becoming professional soccer players come true. On Tuesday night on of the players had his grandfather pick him and his teammates up and bring them off in the night. This had been the plan of several of the players for some months. “Although the defection of Cuban athletes from international competitions is not uncommon, the sudden departure of seven players and an assistant coach at a qualifying tournament for the Olympic represented a stunning rebuke to the Cuban government.” Cuban’s communist youth union newspaper Juventud Rebelde called the defectors dishonorable in its story “Low Blow for Cuban Soccer.” Because of the lost of several of its players including the goal keeper, captain, three defenders, and midfielder, Cuba lost to Honduras 2-0 after its tie with the U.S. (while all the players were present). They now face close elimination as they prepare for Panama.

The dreams for the boys to become professional athletes, where in the U.S. they could average $85,000 annually compared to $8 a week in Cuba, has taken a halt. Luiz Muzzi, the general manager of Miami F.C., a professional team in the United Soccer Leagues’ First Division, was quoted in the Miami Herald as saying he planned to hold a tryout for the players. But Friday afternoon, he told The New York Times that he would not be doing so. “It is a political situation. They’re not legal in the country yet and we’re against any athlete leaving in the middle of a national competition. Right now our position is that we can’t offer them anything.” Miami F.C. is owned by Traffic Sports, a Brazilian company that organizes soccer events like Copa América and qualifying games for the World Cup. According to their lawyer they plan to apply for a political asylum which under the U.S. policy they would receive because they entered to country on legal terms. Nothing has been heard from the assistant coach at the moment.

Dead Dog Beach

Located on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico, in the town of Yabucoa, Dead Dog Beach is a place where animals are often abandoned, sometimes poisoned, shot, etc. In 2002, the PR Hotel and Tourism Association found that the island loses $5 million a year because of the stray cat and dog problem. After years of international outrage from animal welfare advocates, the government is finally taking action to correct the problem. $1.5 million will be used to start shelters; police will be trained in how to handle pet cruelty cases; and the tourism agency has formed an Animal Welfare Committee to pressure the government to continue action. The photo is of street dogs in Barceloneta, PR. International Herald Tribune article